Tree of Life Canvas

Looking for some easy, personal wall art for your home? This Tree of Life/Family Tree canvas takes less than half an hour to create and all you need are a few very basic supplies. You can use any size canvas you like, making it perfect for any room in your house. Here’s how to do it:

You’ll need:

blank canvas (mine is 8×8)

pencil and eraser (I love the Tombow Mono Eraser)

Tombow ABT PRO, black (or other permanent marker)

white gel pen (Uni-Ball Signo)

Step 1: Use a pencil to sketch a trunk and roots on the bottom third of the canvas.

Remember to sketch lightly so your marks are easy to erase later.

Step 2: Sketch a few large swirls coming out from the trunk. 

These will be the largest branches.

Step 3: Use a marker to fill in the trunk and trace the large branches.

I used the brush end of a Tombow ABT PRO on my canvas. The alcohol ink is permanent on the canvas surface and the marker is easy to work with.

Step 4: Add smaller swirls coming off the large branches. 

These will represent smaller branches. Try to alternate which directions your swirls to add variety. You can do this step in pencil, then trace over your lines with marker, or you can skip straight to drawing with the marker if you prefer. If you want to add love birds to your tree, make sure to keep one branch open where they can sit.

Step 5 (optional): Draw two birds on your open branch.

You could draw additional birds on other branches to represent other family members as well.

Step 6: Use a white gel pen to add highlights.

I also drew a heart on the tree trunk and added the year we got married. Feel free to do the same, or to add initials, a name, or anything else that will make the tree personal.

 

Step 7: Add dot embellishments.

I drew sets of three dots, or sometimes just one dot by itself, around some of the spiral curves to finish off my project.

That’s all there is to it! You’ve created your own personal Tree of Life/Family Tree canvas. Now it’s ready to display. Mine is part of the new gallery wall I created in our living room, and I love the way it fits in with our photos and word art.

What do you think? Where in your home would be the perfect spot for this sweet little piece of artwork? If you try this project, I’d love to see how it turns out! Be sure to share your photos of this, or anything else you’re working on in the weekly Show & Tell thread in the Amy Latta & Friends Facebook Group. See you there!